1. Field of the Invention
The present presently disclosed subject matter relates to a battery container which is to house a battery for driving a motor of an electric vehicle, and which allows the battery to be mounted on the vehicle body.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electric vehicle (including a so-called hybrid vehicle that is provided with an internal combustion engine) requires a large number of batteries for driving a motor. There is an example where such batteries are housed in a metal-made container (hereinafter, such a container is referred to as “battery container”), and the battery container housing the batteries is mounted on a vehicle by attaching the battery container to a frame of the vehicle (for example, refer to JP-A-2010-284984).
Such a battery container is required to exert a holding force by which the batteries are surely held in the container in order that the attachment is not loosened by vibrations occurring during running, a change in speed of the vehicle, or the like. Furthermore, the battery container is requested to have a robustness which prevents the container from being easily deformed even when the vehicle has an accident, and a protective function which, even when deformation reaches the container, minimizes breakage of the batteries.
Therefore, a battery container is requested to have a strength which can sufficiently cope with an impact accident. Materials of a battery container are a composite material in which a metal plate is used as a core member and a resin is adhered to the circumference thereof, a metal plate which is shaped by a press work, etc.
In order to improve the running performance of a vehicle or increase the battery mileage, however, a battery container is required to reduce its weight. When a battery container is formed by a thick metal plate in order to cope with a collision of a vehicle, the weight is excessively increased, and hence this countermeasure is not preferable. By contrast, when a battery container is formed so as to provide adequate strength in one direction of a vehicle, there is a possibility that sufficient strength and toughness cannot be formed in the other directions.